A reminder that there is a Badger State Trail Open House tonight in Oak Hall at the Fitchburg Community Center, 5520 Lacy Road from 6 to 8 p.m.
I went to a wedding in Ohio in late October and had the pleasure of having time to bike (round trip) on a rural 10-paved 14-mile long trail from Mt. Vernon to Danville. I had no idea about it until I found it on the internet. The path is a link in what is planned to be an extensive trail system. (Website: http://www.kokosinggaptrail.org/) On the trail were bikers, in-line skaters, joggers, wheel chair users and walkers What really impressed me was - there was no trail fee. It is managed by a 12 member non-profit board that relies on donations and volunteers. It seems like every state I go to - Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota - there are no trail fees. Why can't we do that in Wisconsin? At a minimum find local governments or non-profits that will maintain without charging a fee. Fitchburg would be a an excellent candidate for the hopefully paved section that lies within the corporate limits. I have looked at the Wisconsin state statutes and the DNR administrative code and find that while there is a mechanism to allow for an admittance fee for vehicles, it is not a requirement. State Parks are individually listed by name in the code, trails are not. Let's take a serious look at the trail fee. Wisconsin is losing its early edge as a trail leader to other states that do not charge. Perhaps for starters do not collect fees in urbanized areas. Michael Rewey [EMAIL PROTECTED] "So many roads, So little time..." _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
